Spinner loader equipment

ABSTRACT

Automatic loader equipment picks up a cup-shaped metal pulley blank at a supply station and places the blank between headstock and tailstock assemblies of an automatic pulley spinning machine; and simultaneously removes or unloads a previously placed blank in which pulley groove means has been spun from the headstock and tailstock assemblies and deposits the spun pulley at a discharge station. A carriage is mounted on a pair of slide rods above the spinning machine for transverse sliding movement with respect to the longitudinal axis of the machine between the pulley blank supply or pickup station and the spun pulley discharge station. A pair of load and unload assemblies is mounted on the carriage for relative independent sliding movement on the carriage parallel to the longitudinal axis of the spinning machine. Each slide assembly has a gripper assembly mounted on its forward end which moves generally toward and away from the axis of the spinner or vertically between outer and inner or raised and lowered positions. Finger means are provided on an end of each gripper assembly for gripping a pulley blank or a spun pulley therebetween. The load slide gripper assembly grips a pulley blank by its finger means simultaneously with the unload slide gripper assembly finger means gripping a spun pulley positioned on the headstock spindle of the spinning machine. Both gripper assemblies move away from the axis or vertically upwardly, simultaneously with the horizontal sliding movement of the carriage whereupon the gripped spun pulley is deposited at the discharge station and the pulley blank is placed on the headstock spindle upon the carriage reaching the pulley discharge station. During the subsequent spinning operation of the pulley blank the carriage, slide assemblies and gripper assemblies return to their normal or home positions for initiating another cycle of operation.

United States Patent [191 Killian et al.

[4 1 Oct. 7, 1975 l SPINNER LOADER' EQUIPMENT [75] Inventors: RobertKillian, North Canton; Nolte Vi Sproul, Canton, both of Ohio [73]Assignee: Aspro, Inc., Canton, Ohio [22] Filed: Oct. 10, 1974 21 Appl.No.: 513,858

Primary ExaminerMilton S. Mehr Attorney, Agent, or FirmFrease & Bishop[57] ABSTRACT Automatic loader equipment picks up a cup-shaped metalpulley blank at a supply station and places the blank between headstockand tailstock assemblies of an automatic pulley spinning machine; andsimultaneously removes or unloads a previously placed blank in whichpulley groove means has been spun from the headstock and tailstockassemblies and deposits the spun pulley at a discharge station. Acarriage is mounted on a pair of slide rods above the spinning machinefor transverse sliding movement with respect to the longitudinal axis ofthe machine between the pulley blank supply or pickup station and thespun pulley discharge station. A pair of load and unload assemblies ismounted on the carriage for relative independent sliding movement on thecarriage parallel to the longitudinal axis of the spinning machine. Eachslide assembly has a gripper assembly mounted on its forward end whichmoves generally toward and away from the axis of the spinner orvertically between outer and inner or raised and lowered positions.Finger means are provided on an end of each gripper assembly forgripping a pulley blank or a spun pulley therebetween. The load slidegripper assembly grips a pulley blank by its finger means simultaneouslywith the unload slide gripper assembly finger means gripping a spunpulley positioned on the headstock spindle of the spinning machine. Bothgripper assemblies move away from the axis or vertically upwardly,simultaneously with the horizontal sliding movement of the carriagewhereupon the gripped spun pulley is deposited at the discharge stationand the pulley blank is placed on the headstock spindle upon thecarriage reaching the pulley discharge station. During the subsequentspinning operation of the pulley blank the carriage, slide assembliesand gripper assemblies return to their normal or home positions forinitiating another cycle of operation.

30 Claims, 32 Drawing Figures US. Patent Oct. "1,1975 Sheet 1 0f 113,910,423

US. Patent 0C1. 7,1975 Sheet 2 of 11 3,910,423

NOE

US. Patent Oct. 1,1975 sheetaom 3,910,423

U.S. Patent Oct. 7,1975 Sheet4 of 11 3,910,423

U.S. Patent OCt. 7,1975 Shfiet 5 of 11 3,910,423

US. Patsnt Oct. 7,1975 Sheet 6 of 11.

US. Paient 0a. 7,1975 Sheet7 0f 11 3,9WA23 US. Patent 0a. 7,1975 Sheet 8of 11 3,910,423

US. Patent Oct. 7,1975 Sheet 10 of 11 3,910,423

U.S. Patenft Oct. 7,1975

Sheet 11 of 11 II 1 Y I 9 f FIG.3O

f x by e LOAD O \L n FIG.3I l I H! mkv) UNLOAD LOAD CYCLE UNLOAD CYCLEIII F |G.32

SPINNER LOADER EQUIPMENT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of theInvention The invention relates to apparatus for forming V- groovedpulleys, and specifically to apparatus for loading and unloading pulleyblanks and spun pulleys on and off a pulley spinning machine. Moreparticularly, the invention relates to apparatus which automaticallypicks up a cup-shaped pulley blank and loads it on the headstock dies ofa spinning machine, and which automatically removes the spun pulley fromthe spinning dies after completing the spinning procedure and depositsit for collection at a discharge station adjacent the spinning machine.

2. Description of the Prior Art Many procedures and types of equipmentfor the manufacture of V-grooved pulleys are known involving press androlling or spinning operations, or combinations of any or all of suchoperations, during which operations a grooved pulley is formed from asingle sheet metal blank. Examples of such known pulleys, and methods ofand apparatus for making such pulleys are shown in US. Pat. Nos.2,685,856, 2,869,223 and 2,892,431,

Heretofore, one or more operators were located at each spinning machineand manually lifted a pulley blank from a hopper and placed it on thespinner headstock spindle. The operator then started the spinningmachine and after the spinning operation was completed stopped themachine and manually removed the spun pulley from spinner dies andplaced it in a collection container. Such procedures were timeconsuming, expensive, and occasionally dangerous to the operators whoare constantly working adjacent spinning equipment elements sometimesrapidly moving.

There is no known equipment of which we are aware which has eliminatedthe problems of the manual placement of a pulley blank on the spinnerheadstock spindle dies and the subsequent manual removal of the spunpulley therefrom which provides the unique com bination of severaldependent and independently movable assemblies set forth below whichefficiently, rapidly and automatically perform those procedures whichwere heretofore manually performed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Objectives of the invention include providingspinner loader equipment which automatically picks up a pulley blank ata supply station and places the blank on the headstock of a spinningmachine, simultaneously with the removal of a spun pulley from theheadstock and the deposit of the spun pulley at a discharge station;providing spinner loader equipment having carriage means slidablymounted adjacent the spinning machine for movement transverse of thelongitudinal axis of the machine, in which a pair of slide assemblies ismounted on the carriage, and in which gripper means is mounted on eachslide assembly for grasping and moving the pulley blank and spun pulleybetween the pickup or loading station and the discharge station;providing spinner loader equipment in which the various movableassemblies and components are operated by hydraulic and pneumaticpistons having switch means incorporated therewith, with the signalsfrom the switch means being fed to appropriate control mechanisms toinsure proper timed sequence of operation of these control pistons;

providing spinner loader equipment having chute means for continouslysupplying metal blanks for the pickup gripper means by individuallyreleasing a pulley blank for discharge to the pickup positions;providing spinner loader equipment which can be used in conjunction withknown spinning machines for forming single or multiple groove pulleys,or with other types of spinning operations which may be desired, sincethe loader equipment is not dependent directly upon theparticularspinning machine for its operation but is coordinated in timedsequence with the particular spinning cycle of the machine; providingspinner loader equipment which can be mounted directly on existingspinning machines without major modification thereof; and providingspinner loader equipment which eliminates the heretofore manual loadingand unloading of a spinner simply, effectively and effieiently, andwhich achieves the stated objectives, solves problems, and satisfiesexisting needs.

These objectives and advantages are obtained by the spinner loaderconstruction which automatically feeds a cup-shaped metal blank to alocation between the headstock and tailstock assemblies of a spinningmachine and which removes the finished spun pulley therefrom anddeposits the pulley at a discharge station, the general nature of whichmay be stated as including carriage support means extending transverselywith respect to the longitudinal axis of the spinning machine; carriagemeans movably mounted on the support means for reciprocating movementalong the support means between the pulley blank pickup station and thespun pulley discharge station; load and unload slide assemblies mountedon the carriage means, each of the slide assemblies being relativelyindependently movable on the carriage means for reciprocating motion ina direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the spinning machine;the slide assemblies each having gripper means mounted thereon, thegripper means being relatively movable with respect to the slideassemblies and carriage means; means for delivering cup-shaped metalblanks to the pickup station; the gripper means of the load slideassembly being adapted to grip and remove a metal blank from the supplymeans and to place the blank between the headstock and tailstock dieassemblies by the combined relative movement of the load gripper means,the longitudinal movement of the load slide assembly, and the transversemovement of the carriage means, and the gripper means of the unloadslide assembly being adapted to grip and remove a spun pulley frombetween the headstock and tailstock die assemblies and to deposit thepulley at the discharge station by the combined relative movement of theunload gripper means, the longitudinal movement of the unload slideassembly, and the transverse movement of the carriage means, the unloadgripper means and unload slide assembly movements being simultaneous andcoordinated with the movements with the load gripper means and loadslide assembly; the carriage support means having a pair of spacedparallel slide rods and the carriage means having bearing blockstelescopically engaged with the slide rods to slidably support thecarriage means on the carriage support means; piston means operativelyconnected with the carriage means, slide assemblies, and gripper meansfor imparting respective controlled and coordinated movements thereto;shock absorbing stop means operatively engageable with the carriagemeans, slide assemblies, and

gripper means when said carriage and gripper means and slide assembliesarrive at one of their respective positions; the gripper means includingfinger means pivotally movable between release and gripping position;the finger means of the load slide assembly having a plurality of padsmounted thereon for Clamping a pulley blank; and the finger means of theunload slide assembly having a plurality of rollers mounted thereon forclamping a spun pulley therebetween.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A preferred embodiment of theinvention illustrative of the best mode in which applicants havecontemplated applying the principles is set forth in the fol lowingdescription and shown in the drawings and is particularly and distinctlypointed out and set forth in the appended claims.

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the spinner loader equipment mounted on aspinning machine for forming V- grooved pulleys;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the assembly shown in FIG. I looking inthe direction of arrows 2-2, FIG. 1;,

FIG. 3 is an end elevation of the assembly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2looking in the direction of arrows 3-3, FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view with portions removed ofthe pulley blank feed chute shown in the left hand portion of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary end elevation looking in the direction of arrows5-5, FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view with portions brokenaway, taken online 6-6, FIG. 1, with the load and unload slideassemblies shown in the home position;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 7-7, FIG. 6, withthe load and unload slide assemblies shown in the finished pulleydischarge position;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of the pulley blankunload carriage slide assembly which is shown in FIG. 1 located alongthe centerline of the spinning machine;

FIG. 9 is an elevational view of the unload gripper assembly looking inthe direction of the arrows 9-9, FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 9 with the unload gripper assemblyshown in raised position with the spun pulley gripping fingers inrelease position;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on line 11-11,FIG. 6;

FIG. 12 is a reduced fragmentary sectional view taken on line 12-12,FIG.8;

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 13-13, FIG. 12; 7

FIG. 14 is a reduced fragmentary sectional view taken on line 14-14,FIG. 8;

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 15-15, FIG. 9;

FIG. 16 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 16-16, FIG. 9;

FIG. 17 is afragmentary sectional view taken on line 17-17, FIG. 9;

FIG. 18 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 18-18, FIG. 9 withthe spun pulley removed;

FIG. 19 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on line 19-19,FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 20-20, FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on line 21-21,FIG. 7;

FIG. 22 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevational view of the pulleyblank load gripper assembly. looking in the direction of arrows 22-22,iFIG. 7,.with the pulley blank removed;

FIG. 23 is a fragmentary end elevational view looking in the directionof arrows 23-23, FIG. 22;

FIGS. 24-29 are diagrammatic views showing the operational sequence ofthe spinner loader equipment loading a pulley blank on the spinnerapparatus and removing a spun groove pulley therefrom;

FIG. 30 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a single load cycleshowing the path of travel of a pulley blank as it moves between thepickup station and the headstock die assembly, and the return path oftravel of the load finger means;

FIG. 31 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a single unload cycleshowing the path of travel of a spun pulley as it moves from theheadstock die assembly to the discharge station, and the return path oftravel of the unload fingermeans; and

FIG. 32 is a coordination chart showing the timed sequence between theload and unload assemblies during one complete load and unload cycle.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The new spinner loader equipmentis indicated generally at.1, and is shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 mounted onspinning apparatus of the general type as shown in U.S. Pat. No.2,892,431 for forming multiple groove pulleys. The spinning apparatus isindicated generally at 2, and includes motor means 3' to driveheadstock. spindle 4 of a headstock assembly 5. A tailstock spindle 6 isjournaled in a tailstock assembly 7 in axial alignment with theheadstock spindle 4. Either one or both of the headstock and tailstockspindles may be driven, preferably both headstock spindle 4 andtailstock spindle 6 are rotated in synchronization by motor means 3 and3a, respectfully.

Furthermore, the headstock spindle 4 and tailstock spindle 6 arerelatively movable axially so as to separate the headstock and tailstockdie assemblies 5 and 7 respectfully, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and tomove, them axially toward one another for the spinning operation.Hydraulic cylinder means 12 mounted adjacent tailstock assembly 7 movesthe tailstock assembly axially towards the headstock during the rollerspinning of a pulley.

The headstock and tailstock die assemblies 5 and 7 have forming surfacewhich cooperate .with the spinning roll means and inner die formscontrolled by mandrel means actuated by cylinder means 8 during thegroove forming spinning operation as a pulley blank is held under axialpressure between the headstockand tailstock dies 5 and 7; and theoperation of these components is coordinated in accordance with theprogramming of the spinner as described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,892,431.

Spinning apparatus 2 also is provided with means for moving the spinningrolls (not shown) toward and away from the axis of the headstock andtailstock spindles 4 and 6. Such apparatus is indicated generally at 9(FIG. 1

2) which preferably is connected in timed relation with drive motor sothat actuating levers 11 will move the spinning rolls to and from theaxis of spindles 4 and 6 at predetermined times during the spinningcycle.

In accordance with the invention, spinner loader equipment 1 includes asmain components a chute assembly 15 and a carriage assembly 16. Chuteassembly 15 provides a means for automatically delivering a continuousdupply of pulley blanks to carriage assembly 16 for loading on theheadstock die assembly and for unloading a spun V-groove pulleytherefrom.

Carriage assembly 16 includes a generally U-shaped support base 17(FIGS. 6, 8 and 12) mounted on spinning apparatus 2 and extendingtransversely with respect to the longitudinal axis or center line 18 ofapparatus 2. Line 18a (double dot-dash) represents a vertical planepassing through center line 18 of spinner apparatus 2 (FIGS. 3 and 6).

Support base 17 preferably is located above tailstock assembly 7 and hasa horizontal web 19 and vertical sides 20. Web 19 is formed with a pairof cutouts 21 to reduce the weight thereof without appreciably effectingits strength (FIGS. 1 and 7). Base 17 includes flanges 22 which arebolted at 23 to frame members 24 of spinner 2 to rigidly secure base 17on the spinning machine (FIGS. 6 and 7).

A pair of parallel spaced transversely extending slide rods 25 and 26are mounted on support base 17 by support brackets 27. Brackets 27 arebolted at 28 to horizontal end plates 29 which extend across each end ofweb 19. Flanged channel members 31 extend horizontally between adjacentrod support brackets 27 and are bolted to the tops of brackets 27 bybolts 32 (FIGS. 3 and 11) and members 31 extend vertically upwardly fromthe brackets 27. A cross member 33 (FIG. 3) extends between the tops ofchannels 31 for mounting sundry control equipment (not shown) forcontrolling the operation of spinner loader equipment.

A carriage indicated generally at 35 (FIGS. 8 and 12) is slidablymounted on slide rods 25 and 26 by four bearing blocks 36 for horizontalmovement along the guide rods between a pulley blank pickup position ofFIG. 1 and a spun pulley discharge position of FIG. 7. Carriage 35includes a base plate 37 having a central cutout 38, with bearing block36 being welded at 39 to the underside surface of plate 37 (FIGS. 8, 12and 14).

Hydraulic piston means 40 is mounted on the left hand end plate 29 whenviewing FIG. 7 and extends approximately onehalf the length of carriageassembly 16 to the center line 18 of spinning apparatus 2 for movingcarriage 35 along slide rods 25 and 26. The left hand end of pistoncylinder 41 is mounted on a support platform 42 (FIGS. 7 and 11) whichis fixed to end plate 29. The right hand end of piston cylinder 41 ismounted on a plate 43 (FIGS. 13 and 21) extending between sides 20 ofsupport base 17 above web 19. The extended end of piston rod 44 (FIG.21) is bolted at 45 to a plate 46 which is welded to the bottom ofcarriage plate 37. Piston means 40, thus provides means for movingcarriage 35 transversely with respect to center line 18 and plane 18a ofspinning machine 2 along slide rods 25 and 26, between the pulley blankpickup position and the spun pulley discharge position.

Stop plates 47 (FIG. 12) extend downwardly from the bottom of base plate37 at both ends of carriage 35 for engagement with piston rods 48 ofpneumatic shock absorbers 49 (FIGS. 7 and 11). Shock absorbers 49 aremounted on vertical end plates 50 which are mounted on each end ofcarriage support base 17 for cushioning and absorbing the movement ofcarriage 35 as it reaches the end of slide rods 25 and 26. Bumper pads51 also are mounted on the edges of carriage plate 37 (FIG. 8) to assistin absorbing the force of stopping carriage 35. Air manifolds 52 (FIG.6) or other control equipment may be mounted on end plates 50 andcommunicate with associated control components mounted on cross member33.

In further accordance with the invention, a pair of load and unloadslide assemblies, indicated generally at 55 and 56, respectively, aremounted on carriage 35 for loading a pulley blank 57 on head stockspindle 4 and for unloading a finished spun V-grooved pulley 58therefrom.

Slide assemblies 55 and 56 are similar, and thus only unload assembly 56is described in detail and'is shown particularly in the drawings.Assembly 56 includes a channel-shaped member 59 having a base 60 and apair of upstanding sides 61 and 62 (FIGS. 8, 12 and 13) with the frontend of base 60 being tapered inwardly as shown in FIG. 8. Channel 59-ismounted on a slide block 63 which is formed with an undercut slot 64 inthe bottom thereof in which is engaged a pair of angled ribs 65 formedon a base pad 66. Pad 66 is mounted on carriage base plate 37 (FIG. 13).

A pneumatic slide control piston 67 is mounted on channel member 59between sides 61 and 62 by a rear mounting plate 68 and a front supportplate 69 extending between sides 61 and 62 (FIGS. 12 and 13). Theextended end of piston rod 70 is attached by bolt 71 to a verticalchannel 72 which is welded to carriage 35. Thus, actuation of piston 67moves slide assembly 56 along ribs 65 between the extended position ofFIGS. 8 and 12 and the retracted position of FIG. 7.

A stop 73 is mounted on side block 63 and includes a pair of oppositelyextending bolts 74 (FIGS. 8 and 14). The lower portion of stop 73 isformed with a pair of shoulders 75 which contact pistons 76 of shockabsorbers 77 mounted on carriage base plate 37. Shock absorbers 77absorb the moving force and limit the sliding motion of slide assembly56. Bolts 74 contact the upper portions of shock absorbers mountingblocks 78 to provide a positive stop for assembly 56. Mounting blocks 78preferably are mounted by bolts 79 to carriage plate 37.

Gripper assemblies 80 and 81 are mounted on the front or forward end ofload and unload slide assemblies 55 and 56, respectively. Gripperassemblies 80 and 81 are similar in many respects, and thus only unloadgripper assembly 81 is described in detail below except for severaldifferences in the load gripper assembly 80 from assembly 81.

Assembly 81 (FIGS. 8, 9 and 10) is mounted on slide assembly 56 by apair of spaced upper and lower plates 82 and 83. Plates 82 and 83 arebolted at 84 to a vertically extending mounting plate 85 welded to thefront ends of channel sides 61 and 62 (FIG. 12). A pair of guide tubes86 and 87 are fixed to and extend between plates 82 and 83,,and pistonactuating means 88 is mounted on upper plate 82 and extends through anopening 89 in lower plate 83.

Hollow guide rods 90 and 91 extend slidably through tubes 86 and 87 andhave their upper ends connected to a top end plate 92 by an end cap 93and a nut 94, respectively. An adjustable stop bolt 95 also is mountedon and extends downardly from end plate 92 for engagement with a limitswitch 96 mounted on upper plate 82. The extended end of piston rod 97of piston means 88 is bolted at 98 within a recess 99 formed within topend plate 92.

A pair of pneumatic shock absorbers 100 and 101 is mounted on upper andlower plates 82 and 83, respectively, having plunger rods 102 and 103.Rods 102 and 103 contact stops 104 and 105, respectively, formed on theleft hand ends of top end plate 92 and a bottom end plate 106 (FIGS. 9and when assembly 81 moves generally toward center line 18 of spinner 2(FIG. 9) between the raised or outer position of FIG. 10 and the loweredor inner position of FIG. 9 upon actuation of the piston means 88. Thelower end of guide rod 91 is bolted at 107 to bottom plate 106, and thelower end of guide rod engages plate 106 by a key 108 (FIG. 17 and 18).The upper end of piston means 88 is connected to upper plate 82 byadapter plate 109 (FIG. 10 and 15).

Bottom end plate 106 (FIG. 17)includes a rectangular portion 110 withstop extending outwardly therefrom, and an angled leg portion 111 towhich guide rod 91 is attached. A second piston means 112 which has aconsiderably shorter stroke than that of piston means 88, is mounted onthe front of rectangular portion of plate 106 and extends upwardlytherefrom, and piston means 112 actuates a pair of unload gripperfingers, indicated generally at 113 and 114 (FIGS. 9, 10 and 19).

Fingers 113 and 114 include offset angle plates 115 and 116respectively, which extend downardly and outwardly from a pair of uppermounting plates 11,7 and 118. Reinforcing gussets 117a and 1180preferably extend between the fingers and plates. A pair of rollers 119is mounted on finger plate 115, and a single roller 120 is mounted onplate 116 (FIGS. 9, 10 and 18) for gripping and clamping a spun pulley58 therebetween.

Plates 117 and 118 are bolted at 121 to lever plates 122 and 123respectively, which in turn are rigidly connected to a pair of links 124and 125 (FIGS. 19 and 20). Links 124 and 125 are mounted on yoke 126with one end of each link being pivotally connected to yoke 126 by pivotpins 127 and 128, and with the other link ends pivotally engaging a pin129. Pin 129 extends through elongated slots 130 formed in theoverlapping ends of links 124 and 125. Piston rod 112a of finger pistonmeans 112 is operatively connected to links 124 and 125 by an extensionsleeve 131 (FIG. 18) which is threadedly engaged with the extended endof piston rod 112a (FIG. 19). Pin 129 pivotally connects a reduced endof sleeve 131 to links 124 and 125.

Fingers 132 and 133 of load gripper assembly 80 (FIGS. 22 and 23) mayhave a somewhat different shape than that of fingers 113 and 114 ofunload grip per assembly 8]. Finger 132 has a pair of spaced pads 134pivotally mounted thereon by pins 135, and finger 133 has a singlerigidly mounted pad 136 for gripping pulley blanks 57 between pads 134and 136. The remaining components of gripper assembly 80 are similar tothose of assembly 81.

The chute assembly 15 (FIGS. 1, 3 and 7) is movably mounted on spinner 2by a pair of slide rods 140 and 141 which extend parallel with thelongitudinal axis 18 of spinner 2.. Slide rods 140 and 141 are slidablymounted within a pair of spaced stationary bearing blocks 142 and 143which are mounted on the ex tended ends of a pair of mounting plates 144and 145,

respectively. Plates 144 and 145 are bolted at 146 to the frame ofspinner 2.

A chute housing, indicated generally at 147, is mounted on slide rods140 and 141 and is inclined downwardly towards spinner'2 as shown inFIGS. 3 and 6 by its generally triangularly shaped chute support plates149 and 150. Housing 147, has a bottom wall 148 (FIG. 5) which is weldedto plates 149 and 150 and a erossmember 151 extends between the mountingplates.

An inner housing side wall 152 extends throughout the length of housing147 terminating in a top inwardly bent flange 153. An L-shaped retainingplate 154 (FIGS. 4 and 5) is adjustably mounted opposite and parallelwith a portion of side wall 152 at the bottom of the housing to providea passage 155 which is adjustable to conform to the width of pulleyblank 57. A plurality of bars 156, 157 and 158 are welded to the ends ofspaced brackets 159, and 161, respectively, to form a track extendingthroughout the'remainder of housing 147 along which the pulley blanks 57'roll to the pickup station at the lower end of housing 147. Bracket 159is bolted to a pair of angle plates 162 extending across the top ofhousing 147, and brackets 160 and 161 are mounted on housing bottom wall148.

A stop pin163 (FIGS. 4 and 5) is mounted on inner side wall 152 toengage and maintain a pulley blank 57 at the pickup station as shown inFIG. 4. Discharge control cylinder means 164 is mounted on side wall 152and has plunger means 165 extending through an opening 166 into thepulley discharge path formed by bars 156158. Retraction of plunger 165for a preset time interval permits a single pulley blank 57 to roll fromthe left hand position of FIG. 4 downwardly to the right hand positionthereof where the pulley blank comes to rest against stop pin 163 forpickup by fingers 132-133 .Of load gripper assembly 80.

The mounting of chute housing 147 on slide rods. 140.

and 141 readily permits the housing to be moved from its operatingposition of FIGS; 1 and 7 rearwardly in the direction of arrows A topermit easy access to the headstock and tailstock die assemblies 4 and6.

The described mechanisms'and assemblies provide.

for, various independent and dependent movements in several directions,individually and between the components. These are summarizedindividually below for clarity.

Carriage assembly 16 provides for sliding movement of carriage 35 alongslide rods 25 and 26. transversely with respectto the longitudinal axisof spinner apparatus 2. Carriage 35 moves between the pickup station orhome position at the right hand end of assembly 16 as shown in FIG. 1,and the discharge station at the left hand end of assembly 16, as shownin FIG. 7. Piston means 40 moves carriage 35 between the pickup anddischarge stations Slide assemblies 55 and 56 are mounted on carriage 35for dependent or conjoint movement with carriage 35, as well as beingindependently movable with respect to each other on carriage 35. Slideassemblies 55 and 56 move between an extended position, as shown byassembly 56 in FIG. 8, and a retracted position, illustrated by assembly56 in FIG. 7. This sliding movement is achieved and controlled by theslide piston means 67, and undercut slots 64 cooperating with angledribs 65 of base pads 66 (FIG. 13).

Gripper assemblies 80 and 81 are mounted on the front or forward ends ofslide assemblies 55 and 56, respectively, and move between the loweredor inner position of FIG. 9 and the raised or outer position of FIG. 10.This motion is achieved by means of guide rods 90 and 91 telescopicallyengaged in guide tubes 86 and 87, together with actuating piston means88 and piston rods 97. The movements of gripper assemblies 80 and 81 areindependent of each other and also are independent of the slidingmovements of slide assemblies 55 and 56 and of carriage 35.

The movements of gripper fingers 113114 and 132133 between the grippingposition of FIG. 9 and the release position of FIG. 10 are independentlycontrolled by the finger control piston means 112. Likewise, themovements of the fingers of assembly 80 are independent of the movementsof the fingers of assembly 81, both of which are independent of themovements of the other assemblies described above.

The operation of spinner loader equipment 1 and the coordinatedmovements of the components thereof are shown diagrammatically in FIGS.24-29, with the paths of travel of the pulley blanks and spun pulleys,and of the load and unload finger means being shown in FIGS. and 31.FIG. 24 shows carriage at the'pulley blank pickup station with slideassembly 55 in retracted position and slide assembly 56 (full lines) inextended position. FIG. 25 shows load griper assembly 80 in lowered orinner position (full lines) with unload gripper assembly 81 shown inraised or outer position (full lines). Load fingers 132-133 areillustrated in gripping position clamping a pulley blank 57 at thedischarge end of chute 15, with unload fingers 113 and 114 illustratedin release position.

Assume that a cycle of operation starts with the various componentsshown in the home positions of FIGS. 24 and 25, which correspond topoint a of FIG. 30 and to point n of FIG. 31.

Load gripper assembly 80 moves vertically upwardly from its loweredposition to its raised position (as shown by dot-dash lines in FIG. 25)and as indicated by line I (FIG. 30), and removes a pulley blank 57 fromchute 15. Simultaneously with the movements of load assembly 80, unloadgripper assembly 81 moves downwardly from its raised position to itslowered position (as shown by dotdash lines in FIG. 25) and as indicatedby line I (FIG. 31 and grips a spun pulley 58 mounted on the spinnerheadstock die assembly.

Unload slide assembly 56 then moves horizontally rearwardly in thedirection of Arrow B (FIG. 24) from extended to retracted position(dot-dash lines), andas shown by line H in FIG. 31. Immediately aftermovement of assembly 56 to its retracted position by piston means 67,carriage piston means is actuated to move carriage 35 in the directionof Arrow C (FIG. 24).

Simultaneously with the horizontal movement of carriage 35, load gripperassembly 80 moves downwardly from the raised dot-dash position of FIG.25 to the lowered full line position of FIG. 27, and unload gripperassembly 81 moves upwardly from the lowered dot dash line position ofFIG. 25 to the upper position of FIG. 27. The grasped pulley blank 57and spun pulley 58 move in arcuate paths indicated by lines II and III(FIGS. 30 and 31), due to the simultaneous horizontal movement ofcarriage 35 with the vertical movement of gripper assemblies 80 and 81.Pulley blank 57 follows the path indicated by II from point b to point din a vertical plane abcd, with spun pulley 58 following path III frompoint i to point k in a vertical plane ijkl.

Upon carriage 35 reaching the discharge station (left hand end ofcarriage assembly 16, FIGS. 26 and 27), load slide assembly 55 movesforwardly from retracted position to extended position by dot-dash linesas shown in FIG. 26, placing the pulley blank 57 on the headstock dieassembly die assembly for a spinning operation. Load gripper assemblythen moves vertically from lowered position to raised position as shownby dot-dash lines in FIG. 27. Corresponding with the placement of pulleyblank 57 on the headstock, fingers 1 13-114 of assembly 81 are pivotedto release position by piston means 112, whereupon the spun pulley 58drops into a collection receptable, conveyor or the like, indicated at(FIG. 7)

The movement of pulley blank 57 is illustrated further in FIG. 30 withthe horizontal movement of blank 57 due to the movement of load slideassembly 80 being shown by line III between points d and I1, with thesubsequent vertical movement of gripper assembly 80 being shown by lineIV between points /1 and g. During these movements of slide assembly 55and gripper assembly 80 indicated by lines Ill and IV (FIG. 30), theunload slide and gripper assemblies remain in their former positions asshown by the dash line in the coordination table of FIG. 32.

Immediately after pulley blank 57 is placed on the headstock dieassembly and gripper assembly 80 moves to raised position, carriage 35moves from its discharge position of FIG. 26 in the direction of ArrowD, towards the pulley blank pickup position of FIG. 28. Loan assembly 55moves rearwardly from extended to retracted position, simultaneouslywith the horizontal movement of carriage 35. The load gripper fingers132-133 follow a curved path indicated by line V (FIG. 30) from a pointg to point b in a horizontal plane bcgf. Load slide assembly 55 reachesits retracted position simultaneously upon carriage 35 reaching thepickup station of FIGS. 28 and 29. Gripper assembly 80 then movesvertically downwardly from raised position (full line) to loweredposition (dot-dash line) FIG. 29. This vertical movement of assembly 80is indicated by line VI between points b and a of FIG. 30.

Unload slide assembly 81 moves from retracted to extended position ascarriage 35 moves from the discharge station to the pickup station. Themovement of unload gripper fingers 113-114 follow the path indicated byline IV (FIG. 31), between points k and n in a horizontal plane jkon.

The timing sequence is programmed so that assemblies 80 and 81 togetherwith carriage 35 reach their home positions of FIGS. 24-25 uponcompletion of the spinning operation which is performed doing themovements of steps V, VI and IV of FIGS. 31 and 32. Thus, the loadgripper assembly 80 is in its lowered position with fingers 132-133gripping another pulley blank at the discharge end of chute 15 (point a,FIG. 30) and unload gripper mechanism 81 is in raised position withunload slide assembly 56 being in extended position (point n, FIG. 31)whereby unload fingers 113-114 are in position above the headstock dieassembly for beginning another cycle of operation.

Pulley blank 57 and spun pulley 58 follow the curved arcuate pathswithin a vertical plane shown by lines II and III upon carriage 35traveling from the pickup station to the discharge station due to thesimultaneous ill vertical motions of assemblies 80 and 81 and thehorizontal motions of carriage 35. Load and unload gripper fingers132-1l4 follow the curved arcuate paths shown by lines V and lV' locatedwithin horizontal planes upon carriage 35 and returning to the pickupstation from the discharge station. These curved paths arc due again tothe simultaneous horizontal motions of slide assembly 55 and 56 and thehorizontal movement of carriage 35.

This upward and downward motions of assemblies 80 and 81 are preferredin loading and unloading the pulley blank and spun pulleys on and fromthe headstock assembly as opposed to straight line horizontal travelfrom chute 16 to the headstock in order to clear and avoid contact withthe various frame members and components of chute l6 and spinner 2. Thehorizontal movements of slide assemblies 55 and 56, likewise, arerequired to place and remove the pulley blank and spun pulley on andfrom the headstock die assembly.

The described sequence of operation when performed, although statedsomewhat as a series of individual steps, is a continuous smoothmovement of the various assemblies in timed sequence. Spinner loaderequipment 1, thus enables pulley blanks 57 to be con tinuously suppliedto the spinner headstock by slide assembly 80, and the finished spunpulleys 58 removed from the headstock by assembly 81 and deposited in acollection area 170, with assemblies 80 and 81 returning to the pickupand unload positions, respectively, of FlG. 24 simultaneously while thespinning operation is performed on a pulley blank.

Carriage piston means 40, slide assembly control piston means 67,gripper assembly piston means 88, and finger control piston means 112are provided with internal switches (not shown) or external limitswitches, such as switch 96 (FIG. 10), which are actuated when thevarious piston rods and assemblies reach their extended and retractedpositions. The signals from these switches are supplied from the pistonmeans and control switches to appropriate control mechanism which isprogrammed into a timed sequence. Premature actuation or non-actuationof a switch out of the timed sequence automatically trips a mastercontrol switch to stop the operation of spinner 2 and the feedermechanism, to prevent damage to the equipment.

An operator need only actuate the spinner loader equipment 1 and spinner2 and provide a supply of pulley blanks 57 to chute assembly in ordercontinuously to produce a quantity of spun V-grooved pulleys 58. Chuteassembly 15 preferably is arranged adjacent a supply hopper or magazinewhich automatically insures a continuous supply of pulley blanks withinchute 15. Thus, a single operator may control and maintain surveillanceover a plurality of spinners eliminating the prior manual loading ofpulley blanks by an operator on the headstock die and the manual removalof the spun pulley after the spinning operation has been completed.

Although the positions of the various components and their relationshipsto each other are described as illustrated in the drawings, i.e., on aspinner 2 having a horizontal'axis and with slide assemblies 55 and 56extending horizontally and gripper mechanisms 80 and 81 moving invertical directions; the improved spinner loader equipment need not belimited to such directional motion. Spinner 2 may have a vertical axiswith the headstock assembly extending vertically above the tailstockassembly, or vice versa, so that the loader equipment slide assembliesmove vertically between retracted and extended position instead ofmoving horizontally as described, and as shown in the drawings.Likewise, when spinner 2 is positioned vertically, gripper mechanismsand 81 move horizontally between inner and outer positions instead ofvertically between lowered and raised positions.

Spinner 2 and spinner loader equipment 1 can be placed in such variouspositions and operate efficiently due to the positive movement of thevarious components without relying on gravity for operation of thecomponents. Although chute assembly 15 delivers pulley blanks 57 to thepickup station by gravity, positive means for delivery of pulley blanksto the pickup station may be used satisfactorily, if necessary, withoutaffecting the operation of carriage assembly 16 and its variouscomponents.

The controls for the various components described above may be usualelectrical, electronic, hydraulic, pneumatic controls, or a combinationthereof, and then form no particular part of the invention except toprovide the necessary control for these components coordinated withknown spinner programming. Discharge cylinder 164 and plunger 165 ofchute assembly 15, also preferably are connected with and are controlledby the timed sequential program of operation of spinner 2 and loaderequipment 1, to insure that a pulley blank 57 is discharged at theproper time after removal of the lowermost pulley blank in chute 15 byassembly 80. This enables another pulley blank to arrive at a positionfor pickup by assembly 80 at the lower end of chute 15 when startinganother cycle of operation.

In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity,clearness and understanding but no unnecessary limitations are to beimplied therefrom beyond the requirements of the prior art,,because suchterms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadlyconstrued.

Moreover, the description and illustration of the invention is by way ofexample, and the scope of the invention is not limited to the exactdetails of the construction shown or described.

Having now described the features, discoveries and principles of theinvention, the manner in which the improved spinner loader equipment isconstructed, assembled, and operated, the characteristics of the newconstruction, and the advantageous, new and useful results obtained; thenew and useful structures, devices, elements, arrangements, parts, andcombinations are set forth in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for continuously feeding cup-shaped metal blanks from asupply of such blanks at a pickup station to a location between theheadstock and tailstock die assemblies of a spinner, and for removingfinished spun V-grooved pulleys from the spinner and depositing the spunpulleys at a discharge station including, carriage support means mountedon a spinner extending transversely with respect to the longitudinalaxis of the spinner; carriage means movably mounted on the support meansfor reciprocating movement along said support means transversely to saidlongitudinal spinner axis between a pickup station and a dischargestation; load and unload slide assemblies movably mounted on thecarriage means for relative independent reciprocating movement on thecarriage.

means in directions parallel to said longitudinal spinner axis; grippermeans mounted on each slide assembly each movable with respect to theslide assembliesand carriage means; conveyor means for deliveringcupshaped metal blanks to the pickup station; the load slide assemblygripper means being operative to grip and remove a metal blank at thepickup station from said conveyor means and to place the blank betweenspinner headstock and tailstock die assemblies by the combined relativemovement of the load gripper means, the longitudinal movement of theload slide assembly, and the transverse movement of the carriage means;and the unload slide assembly gripper means being operative to grip andremove a spun pulley from between the spinner headstock and tailstockdie assemblies and to deposit said pulley at the discharge station bythe combined relative movement of the unload gripper means, thelongitudinal movement of the unload slide assembly, andthe transversemovement of the carriage means; the unload gripper means and unloadslide assembly movements being simultaneous and coordinated with themovements with the load gripper means and load slide assembly.

2. The construction defined in claim 1 in which the carriage supportmeans includes a pair of spaced, parallel slide rods; in which thecarriage means has a base; and in which a plurality of bearing blocksare mounted onthecarriage means base and are telescopically engaged withthe slide rods for slidablysupporting the carriage means on the supportmeans.

3. The construction defined in claim 2 in which piston means is mountedon one end of the carriage support means and extends longitudinally withrespect to said support means; in which the piston means has a pistonrod; and in which the extended end of the piston rod is attached to thecarriage means base whereby actuation of the piston means moves saidcarriage means along the carriage support means.

4. The construction defined in claim 2 in which stop means are mountedon each end of the carriage support means; and in which said stop meansengage the carriage means upon said carriage means arriving adjacent anend of the support means.

5. The construction defined in claim 4 in which the stop means arepneumatic, piston actuated shock absorbers.

6. The construction defined in claim 1 in which the carriage supportmeans includes a generally U-shaped frame member mounted on the spinner;in which channel members extend upwardly from the ends of the framemember; and in which a crossmember extends between the channel members.

7. The construction defined in claim 1 in which each of the load andunload slide assemblies includes a base; in which rib means is formed onthe carriage means; and in which the slide assembly bases are formedwith slot means cooperating with said rib means for slidably mountingthe slide assemblies on the carriage means.

8. The construction defined in claim 7 in which the slide assemblieseach have a channel-like member with a web and a pair of spaced upwardlyextending sides; in which the web is mounted on the slide assembly base;in which control piston means is mounted on the channel-like memberbetween the spaced sides and operatively connected to the carriagemeans; and in which said piston means moves the slide assembly betweenextended and retracted positions.

9. The construction defined in claim 1 in which each of the slideassemblies includes piston means; in which the piston means is connectedbetween the slide assembly and the carriage means, whereby actuation ofthe piston means moves the slide assembly transversely with respect tothe carriage means and parallel to the longitudinal axis of thespinner.

10. The construction defined in claim 1 in which stop means is mountedon the carriage means; and in which said stop means engages the slideassemblies upon said assemblies reaching extended and retractedpositions.

11. The constructiondefined in claim 1 in which plate means is mountedon the forward end of each slide assembly; in which guide tube means ismounted on said plate means; in which the gripper means includes guiderod means; and in which said guide rod means extend through the guidetube means for slidably mounting the gripper means on the slideassemblies.

12. The construction defined in claim 11 in which piston means isoperatively connected between the guide rod means and the plate means tomove the gripper means relatively with respect to the slide assemblieswhen said piston means is actuated.

13. The construction defined in claim 11 in which shock absorbing stopmeans is mounted on the plate means operative to engage the grippermeans to limit the extent of travel of the gripper means.

14. The construction defined in claim 11 in which the plate meansincludes a pair of spaced mounting plates; in which the guide tube meansconsists of a pair of tubes extending between the spaced plates; inwhich the guide rod means consists of a pair of guide rods having apairof end plates attached to and extending between the ends of the guiderods; and in which piston means is mounted on one of the slide assemblymounting plates and is connected with one of the guide rod end plates tomove said guide rods relatively with respect to the slide assembly whensaid piston means is actuated.

15. The construction defined in claim 14 in which shock absorbing stopmeans is mounted on each of the spaced slide assembly mounting plates;and in which the stop means engage a guide rod end plates to limit thetravel of the gripper means with respect to the slide assemblies.

16. The construction defined in claim 14 in which finger means ismounted on one guide rod end plate; and in which second piston means ismounted on said one guide rod end plate and operatively connected to thefinger means for pivotally moving said finger means between gripping andrelease positions.

17. The construction defined in claim 16 in which the finger means eachincludes yoke means and a pair of finger members pivotally mounted onthe ends of the yoke means; and in which links operatively connect thesecond piston means to the finger members for pivoting said fingermembers between gripping and release positrons.

18. The construction defined in claim 17 in which roller means ismounted on the finger members of the unload gripper means; in which padmeans is mounted on the finger members of the load gripper means; and inwhich said roller means and pad means are adapted to grip a spun pulleyand pulley blank, respectively, when the finger members are in grippingposition.

19. The construction defined in claim 1 in which the gripper means eachinclude finger means mounted on an end of the gripper means andpivotally movable between gripping and release positions.

20. The construction defined in claim 19 in which each slide assemblyincludes guide tube. means mounted on the forward end of the slideassembly; in which each gripper means includes guide rod meanstelescopically engaged with the guide tube means for movably mountingsaid gripper means on said slide assembly; in which first piston meansis operatively connected between each of the gripper means andtherespective slide assembly for moving said grippermeans between firstand second positions; in which the finger means are mounted on the guiderod means forrelative movement with said guide rod means; in which saidfinger means includes second piston means and a pair of spaced,pivotally mounted 'finger members; and in which said second piston meanswhen actuated, moves the finger members between gripping and releasepositions. I

21. The construction defined in claim 1 in which the blank deliveryconveyor means includes a chute located adjacent the spinner and pickupstation; in which the chute extends transversely with respect to thelongitudinal axis of the spinner and parallel with the carriage supportmeans; and in which the chute is inclined downwardly toward the pickupstation whereby blanks roll by gravity toward said pickup station.

22. The construction defined in claim 21 in which the chute includesmeans for releasing a single blank for discharge to the pickup station.

23. The construction defined in claim 22 in which the chute includes atleast one side wall and a plurality of rods forming with said side walla track along which the blanks roll; in which the release means is aplunger mounted on the side wall and adapted to project into the path ofthe moving blanks; and in which the plunger includes control means forretracting said plunger from the blank path to release a blank fordelivery to the pickup station.

24. The construction defined in claim 21 in which the blank deliveryconveyor means further includes rod means spaced from and extendingparallel to the longitudinal axis of the spinner; in which the chute ismounted on the rod means; and in which there are means slidably mountingsaid rod means on the spin ner, whereby the chute is movably mountedwith respect to the spinner.

25. The construction defined in claim 24 in which said rod meansincludes a pair of spaced parallel slide rods; and in which said rodsare slidably mounted on bearing blocks mounted on the spinner.

26. Spinner loader construction for supplying metal blanks to a spinnerand for removing spun V-grooved pulleys after spinning including, acarriage platform mounted on and extending transversely to thelongitudinal axis of the spinner; a carriage siidably mounted on theplatform and movable between first and second positions located onopposite sides of said longitudinal axis; load and unload slideassemblies movably mounted in spaced relationship on the carriage andmovable between extended and retracted positions; the load slideassembly being aligned with the longitudinal axis of the spinner whenthe carriage means is in its sec ond position, and said unload slideassembly being aligned with said longitudinal axis when the carriagemeans is in its first position; gripper mechanism mounted on each slideassembly each movable between inner and outer positions; each grippermechanism having finger means mounted thereon pivotally movable betweenrelease and gripping positions; conveyor means for delivering cupshapedmetal blanks to a pickup station adjacent the spinner and saidfirstposition; the load slide assembly finger means when the carriageisat its first position being operatively mounted on its assembly to moveto gripping position and to grip a metal blank at the pickup stationfrom said conveyor means and upon movement of the load gripper mechanismfrom inner to outer position to remove the gripped blank from the pickupstation; the carriage being operatively mounted to move fromits firstposition to its second position in coordination with movement of theload gripper mechanism from inner to outer and back to inner position;the load slide assembly upon arrival of the carriage at the secondposition being operative to move from retracted to extended po sitionand to deposit the gripped blank on the spinner headstock dies; theunload slide assembly finger means when the carriage is at its firstposition being operatively mounted on its assembly to move to grippingposition and to grip a spun V-grooved pulley at the spinner headstockdies and upon movement of the unload slide assembly from extended toretractedposition to remove the gripped spun pulley from said dies; theunload gripper mechanism moving from inner to outer position as thecarriage moves from first to second position; the unload grippermechanism finger means upon arrival of the carriage at second positionbeing operative to move to release position to release the spun pulleyand thereby to deposit the spun pulley in a collection container; andsaid load slide assembly and gripper mechanism movements beingsubstantially simultaneous with corresponding movements of said unloadslide assembly and. unload gripper mechanism movements.

27. The construction defined in claim 26 in which the carriage platformincludes rod means; in which the carriage has a base plate and bearingblocks mounted on the bottom thereof, in which the bearing blocks arejournaled on the slide rod means for movement of the carriage along theplatform; and in which piston means is operatively connected between theplatform and carriage operative to move saidcarriage along the platform.

28. The construction defined in claim'26 in which the slide assemblieseach have a base formed with slideway means for slidably mounting saidassemblies on the platform; and in which piston means is operativelyconnected between each of the slide assemblies and the carriage platformoperative to move the slide assemblies along the slideway meanstransversely with respect to the platform and parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the spinner.

29. The construction defined in claim 26 in which the gripper mechanismseach include first piston means 0perative connected between the grippermechanism and slide assembly whereby actuation of said first pistonmeans moves said gripper mechanism relatively with respect to the slide.assembly; and in which second piston means are operatively connectedbetween the finger means and gripper mechanism whereby actuation of saidsecond piston means operates said finger means.

30. The construction defined in claim 29 in which the finger meansincludes a yoke and a pair of finger members pivotally mounted on theyoke; and in which said finger members are operated by the second piston

1. Apparatus for continuously feeding cup-shaped metal blanks from asupply of such blanks at a pickup station to a location between theheadstock and tailstock die assemblies of a spinner, and for removingfinished spun V-grooved pulleys from the spinner and depositing the spunpulleys at a discharge station including, carriage support means mountedon a spinner extending transversely with respect to the longitudinalaxis of the spinner; carriage means movably mounted on the support meansfor reciprocating movement along said support means transversely to saidlongitudinal spinner axis between a pickup station and a dischargestation; load and unload slide assemblies movably mounted on thecarriage means for relative independent reciprocating movement on thecarriage means in directions parallel to said longitudinal spinner axis;gripper means mounted on each slide assembly each movable with respectto the slide assemblies and carriage means; conveyor means fordelivering cupshaped metal blanks to the pickup station; the load slideassembly gripper means being operative to grip and remove a metal blankat the pickup station from said conveyor means and to place the blankbetween spinner headstock and tailstock die assemblies by the combinedrelative movement of the load gripper means, the longitudinal movementof the load slide assembly, and the transverse movement of the carriagemeans; and the unload slide assembly gripper means being operative togrip and remove a spun pulley from between the spinner headstock andtailstock die assemblies and to deposit said pulley at the dischargestation by the combined relative movement of the unload gripper means,the longitudinal movement of the unload slide assembly, and thetransverse movement of the carriage means; the unload gripper means andunload slide assembly movements being simultaneous and coordinated withthe movements with the load gripper means and load slide assembly. 2.The construction defined in claim 1 in which the carriage support meansincludes a pair of spaced, parallel slide rods; in which the carriagemeans has a base; and in which a plurality of bearing blocks are mountedon the carriage means base and are telescopically engaged with the sliderods for slidably supporting the carriage means on the support means. 3.The construction defined in claim 2 in which piston means is mounted onone end of the carriage support means and extends longitudinally withrespect to said support means; in which the piston means has a pistonrod; and in which the extended end of the piston rod is attached to thecarriage means base whereby actuation of the piston means moves saidcarriage means along the carriage support means.
 4. The constructiondefined in claim 2 in which stop means are mounted on each end of thecarriage support means; and in which said stop means engage the carriagemeans upon said carriage means arriving adjacent an end of the supportmeans.
 5. The construction defined in claim 4 in which the stop meansare pneumatic, piston actuated shock absorbers.
 6. The constructiondefined in claim 1 in which the carriage support means includes agenerally U-shaped frame member mounted on the spinner; in which channelmembers extend upwardly from the ends of the frame member; and in whicha crossmember extends between the channel members.
 7. The constructiondefined in claim 1 in which each of the load and unload slide assembliesincludes a base; in which rib means is formed on the carriage means; andin which the slide assembly bases are formed with slot means cooperatingwith said rib means for slidably mounting the slide assemblies on thecarriage means.
 8. The construction defined in claim 7 in which theslide assemblies each have a channel-like member with a web and a pairof spaced upwardly extending sides; in which the web is mounted on theslide assembly base; in which control piston means is mounted on thechannel-like member between the spaced sides and operatively connectedto the carriage means; and in which said piston means moves the slideassembly between extended and retracted positions.
 9. The constructiondefined in claim 1 in which each of the slide assemblies includes pistonmeans; in which the piston means is connected between the slide assemblyand the carriage means, whereby actuation of the piston means moves theslide assembly transversely with respect to the carriage means andparallel to the longitudinal axis of the spinner.
 10. The constructiondefined in claim 1 in which stop means is mounted on the carriage means;and in which said stop means engages the slide assemblies upon saidassemblies reaching extended and retracted positions.
 11. Theconstruction defined in claim 1 in which plate means is mounted on theforward end of each slide assembly; in which guide tube means is mountedon said plate means; in which the gripper means includes guide rodmeans; and in which said guide rod means extend through the guide tubemeans for slidably mounting the gripper means on the slide assemblies.12. The construction defined in claim 11 in which piston means isoperatively connected between the guide rod means and the plate means tomove the gripper means relatively with respect to the slide assemblieswhen said piston means is actuated.
 13. The construction defined inclaim 11 in which shock absorbing stop means is mounted on the platemeans operative to engage the gripper means to limit the extent oftravel of the gripper means.
 14. The construction defined in claim 11 inwhich the plate means includes a pair of spaced mounting plates; inwhIch the guide tube means consists of a pair of tubes extending betweenthe spaced plates; in which the guide rod means consists of a pair ofguide rods having a pair of end plates attached to and extending betweenthe ends of the guide rods; and in which piston means is mounted on oneof the slide assembly mounting plates and is connected with one of theguide rod end plates to move said guide rods relatively with respect tothe slide assembly when said piston means is actuated.
 15. Theconstruction defined in claim 14 in which shock absorbing stop means ismounted on each of the spaced slide assembly mounting plates; and inwhich the stop means engage a guide rod end plates to limit the travelof the gripper means with respect to the slide assemblies.
 16. Theconstruction defined in claim 14 in which finger means is mounted on oneguide rod end plate; and in which second piston means is mounted on saidone guide rod end plate and operatively connected to the finger meansfor pivotally moving said finger means between gripping and releasepositions.
 17. The construction defined in claim 16 in which the fingermeans each includes yoke means and a pair of finger members pivotallymounted on the ends of the yoke means; and in which links operativelyconnect the second piston means to the finger members for pivoting saidfinger members between gripping and release positions.
 18. Theconstruction defined in claim 17 in which roller means is mounted on thefinger members of the unload gripper means; in which pad means ismounted on the finger members of the load gripper means; and in whichsaid roller means and pad means are adapted to grip a spun pulley andpulley blank, respectively, when the finger members are in grippingposition.
 19. The construction defined in claim 1 in which the grippermeans each include finger means mounted on an end of the gripper meansand pivotally movable between gripping and release positions.
 20. Theconstruction defined in claim 19 in which each slide assembly includesguide tube means mounted on the forward end of the slide assembly; inwhich each gripper means includes guide rod means telescopically engagedwith the guide tube means for movably mounting said gripper means onsaid slide assembly; in which first piston means is operativelyconnected between each of the gripper means and the respective slideassembly for moving said gripper means between first and secondpositions; in which the finger means are mounted on the guide rod meansfor relative movement with said guide rod means; in which said fingermeans includes second piston means and a pair of spaced, pivotallymounted finger members; and in which said second piston means whenactuated, moves the finger members between gripping and releasepositions.
 21. The construction defined in claim 1 in which the blankdelivery conveyor means includes a chute located adjacent the spinnerand pickup station; in which the chute extends transversely with respectto the longitudinal axis of the spinner and parallel with the carriagesupport means; and in which the chute is inclined downwardly toward thepickup station whereby blanks roll by gravity toward said pickupstation.
 22. The construction defined in claim 21 in which the chuteincludes means for releasing a single blank for discharge to the pickupstation.
 23. The construction defined in claim 22 in which the chuteincludes at least one side wall and a plurality of rods forming withsaid side wall a track along which the blanks roll; in which the releasemeans is a plunger mounted on the side wall and adapted to project intothe path of the moving blanks; and in which the plunger includes controlmeans for retracting said plunger from the blank path to release a blankfor delivery to the pickup station.
 24. The construction defined inclaim 21 in which the blank delivery conveyor means further includes rodmeans spaced from and extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of thespinner; in which the chute is moUnted on the rod means; and in whichthere are means slidably mounting said rod means on the spinner, wherebythe chute is movably mounted with respect to the spinner.
 25. Theconstruction defined in claim 24 in which said rod means includes a pairof spaced parallel slide rods; and in which said rods are slidablymounted on bearing blocks mounted on the spinner.
 26. Spinner loaderconstruction for supplying metal blanks to a spinner and for removingspun V-grooved pulleys after spinning including, a carriage platformmounted on and extending transversely to the longitudinal axis of thespinner; a carriage slidably mounted on the platform and movable betweenfirst and second positions located on opposite sides of saidlongitudinal axis; load and unload slide assemblies movably mounted inspaced relationship on the carriage and movable between extended andretracted positions; the load slide assembly being aligned with thelongitudinal axis of the spinner when the carriage means is in itssecond position, and said unload slide assembly being aligned with saidlongitudinal axis when the carriage means is in its first position;gripper mechanism mounted on each slide assembly each movable betweeninner and outer positions; each gripper mechanism having finger meansmounted thereon pivotally movable between release and grippingpositions; conveyor means for delivering cupshaped metal blanks to apickup station adjacent the spinner and said first position; the loadslide assembly finger means when the carriage is at its first positionbeing operatively mounted on its assembly to move to gripping positionand to grip a metal blank at the pickup station from said conveyor meansand upon movement of the load gripper mechanism from inner to outerposition to remove the gripped blank from the pickup station; thecarriage being operatively mounted to move from its first position toits second position in coordination with movement of the load grippermechanism from inner to outer and back to inner position; the load slideassembly upon arrival of the carriage at the second position beingoperative to move from retracted to extended position and to deposit thegripped blank on the spinner headstock dies; the unload slide assemblyfinger means when the carriage is at its first position beingoperatively mounted on its assembly to move to gripping position and togrip a spun V-grooved pulley at the spinner headstock dies and uponmovement of the unload slide assembly from extended to retractedposition to remove the gripped spun pulley from said dies; the unloadgripper mechanism moving from inner to outer position as the carriagemoves from first to second position; the unload gripper mechanism fingermeans upon arrival of the carriage at second position being operative tomove to release position to release the spun pulley and thereby todeposit the spun pulley in a collection container; and said load slideassembly and gripper mechanism movements being substantiallysimultaneous with corresponding movements of said unload slide assemblyand unload gripper mechanism movements.
 27. The construction defined inclaim 26 in which the carriage platform includes rod means; in which thecarriage has a base plate and bearing blocks mounted on the bottomthereof, in which the bearing blocks are journaled on the slide rodmeans for movement of the carriage along the platform; and in whichpiston means is operatively connected between the platform and carriageoperative to move said carriage along the platform.
 28. The constructiondefined in claim 26 in which the slide assemblies each have a baseformed with slideway means for slidably mounting said assemblies on theplatform; and in which piston means is operatively connected betweeneach of the slide assemblies and the carriage platform operative to movethe slide assemblies along the slideway means transversely with respectto the platform and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the spinner.29. The construction defined in claim 26 in which the gripper mechanismseach include first piston means operative connected between the grippermechanism and slide assembly whereby actuation of said first pistonmeans moves said gripper mechanism relatively with respect to the slideassembly; and in which second piston means are operatively connectedbetween the finger means and gripper mechanism whereby actuation of saidsecond piston means operates said finger means.
 30. The constructiondefined in claim 29 in which the finger means includes a yoke and a pairof finger members pivotally mounted on the yoke; and in which saidfinger members are operated by the second piston means.